


and in the dark, I can feel your heartbeat

by friendofmaia



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-04
Updated: 2020-06-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:22:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24544570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/friendofmaia/pseuds/friendofmaia
Summary: She could never think the word love, much less say it, but the knowledge of it shaped her every movement. The fullness of it, found in Adora, animated her. Long before the sword, before She-Ra, before it was the whole world going to hell and it was just their world going to hell, Catra’s love for Adora was the only thing that kept her going.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 57





	and in the dark, I can feel your heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> Title is adapted from the song "Cosmic Love" by Florence + the Machine (I misheard "hear" as "feel," but I like "feel" better for this title so that's what I'm going with haha)
> 
> Story itself is That Moment in the Heart, from Catra's perspective!

Catra felt a searing panic as the world fell in around her and Adora. The Heart was spitting flames on top of them like a vengeful god, intent on burning everything Catra - 

Loved.

She could never think the word _love_ , much less say it, but the knowledge of it shaped her every movement. The fullness of it, found in Adora, animated her. Long before the sword, before She-Ra, before it was the whole world going to hell and it was just _their_ world going to hell, Catra’s love for Adora was the only thing that kept her going. When it left her--when _Adora_ left her--the lost love left a vacuum in its space. What remained was only the desperate, animalistic urge to survive.

Until now.

Holding Adora, feeling the warmth beginning to fade from her skin, Catra hadn’t been gripped by such a frantic yearning to live, to _really_ live and not merely _survive,_ in years. And it was all because--

“Don’t you get it?” she cried, clutching at Adora’s limp body with her hands--she was still in there, she knew it, she believed it against all visual evidence, because Adora had never given up on anything, ever, and she wasn’t going to start now-- “I love you! I always have! So please, for just this once - stay!”

She slumped into her love’s shoulders, suddenly exhausted; tears welled hot and furious in the corners of her eyes, dribbling down her cheeks. She could feel Adora--not She-Ra, _Adora_ ’s--muscles underneath her hands, through her shirt, feel the girl’s soft hair pressed against her face. She smelled of burning flesh, and metal, and fear, but buried deep beneath those scents was the warm, musky smell of Adora. The Adora she had known and loved, known and hated (or so she told herself), and now knew and loved again. 

_Please, Adora. Please. You gotta hold on. You promised._

_Nothing really bad can happen as long as we’re together._

Suddenly, Adora gasped; Catra jerked up at the violent motion. She immediately zeroed in on Adora’s wide blue eyes.

“You...love me?”

It took Catra a second to register Adora’s words; she was so overcome with relief at the other girl’s awakening. When she did, she laughed. Of course. Typical Adora. “You are such an idiot,” she gasped, choking down tears, her grin stretching so wide it hurt. God. This was enough, to see the clueless Adora she knew and loved. She didn’t need the other girl’s reciprocation before they died.

But then Catra saw the look in Adora’s eyes. The steady flood of resolve. The assurance in them, that was like the assurance that the moons would rise and set every day, on time, for eternity, no matter what. And Catra’s breath caught.

“I love you, too,” Adora murmured, and the world took on a strange quality - as if it wasn’t already strange enough. Time seemed to stretch, and even the crackle of the Heart softened and receded, the lights fading.

Catra expected an explosion of affection in her heart, but it was more of a soft, expansive opening, like a flower unfurling--tender, new, and vibrant. 

Catra leaned forward, and kissed her.

Adora’s mouth was weak; her lips were chapped and tasted faintly of blood--but they were soft, and open. And now, all of a sudden, their love _was_ like an explosion--Catra squeezed her eyes shut as she felt a tingling racing up her legs, her torso, her arms; her hair was standing straight on end - was this what dying felt like? She kissed Adora harder, harder, harder - and the other girl kissed back-- 

Catra felt herself sliding down, and when she finally opened her eyes, she saw that it was She-Ra cradling her now--but She-Ra’s eyes. Oh, her eyes were _Adora’s_ eyes. Her Adora.

She was touching Catra’s face, her expression tender, gentle, awed, as if she never thought she’d be able to do this or want this (Catra never thought she would, either), and now she was. 

“We did it,” Adora whispered, “Let’s go home.”


End file.
